USA > Massachusetts > Bristol County > Attleboro > Reports of town officers of the town of Attleborough 1931 > Part 7
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EQUIPMENT
The motor equipment consists of a Studebaker Sheriff model Touring car, three Model A Ford Runabouts, three Indian Motorcycles and a Cadillac Patrol Wagon.
The Patrol Wagon is now thirteen years old, it has rendered good service and is now about all done for the work required. It might well be replaced by a lighter vehicle that could give just as good service and be more economical to maintain.
The touring car is of 1927 model and is about ready to fall apart, this vehicle should have been replaced by a new one a year ago.
The Ford runabouts are only good for one year in the kind of service re- quired from them, especially over the roads they are obliged to travel. They must be turned in for new ones same as in former years.
The motorcycles are in good condition, two of them are only a year old while the third has seen two years of service. I believe it would be sound economy to exchange the two year old one for a new model.
90
ANNUAL REPORT
The equipment carried by the officers is in good condition and of the most modern type. There is a riot gun carried in each patrol car on every tour of duty.
THE POLICE FORCE
The Police Department consist of a Chief, Lieutenant, two Sergeants, twenty- one Patrolmen, and five Reserve Officers. This is the most in numbers it has ever been. The Officers performed their duties faithfully and well, and con- ducted themselves in a manner that reflects credit on the Department, with one possible exception. The Officer who violated the rules bore such an ex- emplary character previous to this time that it was decided not to bring any charges against him. He was given seven days punishment duty and a stern reminder that another violation of the same kind would mean dismissal from the Force.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Again I recommend the erection of a building for a Police Station, with suitable housing capacity for the motor apparatus. For some time past two of the Ford motor patrols have to be left out in the open air, as the space formerly occupied by them in the Water Barn owned by the city is taken up by the addi- tion of another truck for the Water Department.
I recommend the installation of a Recall Gamewell system: this would be a considerable expense but the results obtained would more than repay its in- stallation and upkeep.
I recommend the installation of a photograph outfit and finger print bureau with a thoroughly trained officer to properly conduct the same. This bureau would help very materially in the solution of crimes and increase the number of arrests of offenders.
I recommend the equipping of the Ford patrols with a short wave radio receiving set that would enable them to receive messages broadcast from the State Headquarters at Framingham. Should a serious crime occur in the city it could be relayed to the cruising cars in about three minutes from the time it was reported at Headquarters.
CONCLUSION
I wish to thank His Honor, Mayor Stephen H. Foley, the Municipal Council, Judge Ralph C. Estes and the Associate Justices of the Fourth District Court. Clerk Edwin F. Thayer, Probation Officer John H. Nerney and employees of said Court, members of the Fire Department, City Hall officials, newspaper men and all others that in any way assisted the Department during the year just closed.
Respectfully submitted, TERENCE E. FLANAGAN, Chief of Police.
91
ANNUAL REPORT
Report of Attleboro Public Library
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Mrs. Eleanor S. Carpenter
Term Expires 1932 William L. King Edwin L. Leach
Term Expires 1933
Miss Edith Claflin
Raymond M. Horton Mrs. Winthrop F. Barden
Joseph L. Sweet
Term Expires 1934 Mrs. Caroline S. Holden
Dr. Frederick V. Murphy
OFFICERS
Joseph L. Sweet
President
Ethel S. Barden . Secretary
Raymond M. Horton
Treasurer
COMMITTEES
The President, Mr. Horton, Mrs. Barden, Mr. King .Administration The President, Mr. Leach, Dr. Murphy .. . Building and Property The President, Miss Claflin, Mrs. Carpenter, Mrs. Holden, Mrs. Barden. . . Books
STAFF
Elizabeth Lucile Palmer Librarian
Dorothy I. Hannaford. .Senior Assistant
Segrid Lindbeck Junior Assistant
Elizabeth Peckham. Junior Assistant
Evelyn Hoecke
Junior Assistant
Angela Bowen. Assistant in Charge of Children's Room
Muriel Hodson.
Extra Assistant
PART TIME ASSISTANTS
*Hope Bosworth Miriam Bowen (Mrs.) Mary H. Fisher Alice Ingerson
Grace Lennox (Mrs.) Aravesta H. Paul (Mrs.) Jennie L. Sturdy Jean Walsh
*Resigned
JANITOR
William P. Barrett
-
92
ANNUAL REPORT
-
ANNUAL REPORT Year Ending December, 1931
To the Honorable Mayor and City Council of Attleboro,
Gentlemen :-
The Trustees of the Attleboro Public Library respectfully submit their annual report for the year ending December 31, 1931.
The circulation of books for this year has greatly exceeded any year during the history of the Library; an increase over last year of 13,749 and an increase over the highest circulation of any year of 5,120. This volume has been handled efficiently by our regular staff, but will of course be reflected in depreciation of books by replacement and bindery.
The total number of books now in the library is 32,549.
The Librarian's report is attached hereto and gives complete information relative to the operations for the year.
The Treasurer's report is also enclosed and gives complete data relative to invested funds and income.
In presenting our budget to you for the current year, we have scaled down all anticipated expenses to the minimum and in order to relieve the situation a little will draw upon our invested funds to the amount of $500.00 for books.
The outstanding work for this year was the opening of a library service to the Attleboro hospital. Our assistant librarian has given two days each week to this work and while it was a sacrifice to the working staff on duty, this has been compensated for by the great benefit which it has been to the hospital and its patients.
The work of the Librarian and her assistants has not been confined to the mere circulation of books, but much assistance has been given in looking up information for special consignments and translations. We feel deeply grateful to the staff for their loyalty and cooperation who have given unstintingly of their time and service to make the library an organization of which Attleboro may well be proud.
We wish to express our sincere thanks to all who presented gifts to the library and to those who in many other ways assisted during the year.
Respectfully submitted,
EDWIN F. LEACH, President CAROLINE S. HOLDEN ELEANOR S. CARPENTER ETHEL H. BARDEN EDITH CLAFLIN WM. L. KING JOSEPH L. SWEET DR. F. V. MURPHY Trustees
Spent from City appropriation
$15,737 $16,111 $20,011 $17,015
$17,363
147,221
142,101
141,800
140,000
133,472
130,445
120,000
- 100,000
Library closed 5 weeks for in- stallation of new stacks
80,000
60,000
40,000
29,518
28,612
20,000
-
SCALE 1 inch = 20,000 units
=book stock in volumes
= volumes circulated
1927
1928
1929
1930
1931
32,549
31,257
30,515
94
ANNUAL REPORT
THE ATTLEBORO PUBLIC LIBRARY A Statement of Operations
1931
"The library meets its educational responsibilities to society in the degree that the public learns from the library what social values are, becomes curious about 'the other side' of political and economic question and comes to rely upon the library assistants for advice which is as free from propaganda as any sort of fallible human beings are able to give."
Whether the Attleboro Public Library has in any measure lived up to the ideals expressed in the above quotation is for those outside, rather than inside to judge. That is has in some measure, at least, recognized its responsibilities to the community, and has been able to satisfy, if only partially, the demands made upon it is attested by the following summary of statistics.
5 YEAR PROGRESS
In the five years 1927-1931 inclusive, the library has loaned for home use 695,039 volumes, which represents a turnover of over 20 times its entire book stock, purely reference material such as dictionaries and encyclopedias, not excepted. This number of books loaned in five years is more than 32 times the present population of the city. New books formed but a small part in this circulation, for during the same period only 10,401 books were added to the collection, and 4,402 of them were replacements of duplicates. The cost in terms of city appropriation amounted to $86,326.00, an average of a little over $17,000 per year.
HARD TIMES-MORE READERS
The past year has been the most active in the history of the library, both in the number of books circulated and in the number of persons using the reading rooms. The record of 147,221 volumes loaned exceeds that of 1930 by 13,739. Of these a little less than 1-3 were non-fiction with poetry, drama and essays the most called for. Books of travel, fine arts and design, business and technical studies rank next in popularity, in the order named.
The increased pressure of a growing circulation is in itself one of the major problems of library administration. Greater circulation means an increase of wear on the collection and while many of the books must be withdrawn as no longer fit for use, a still greater number may be salvaged for months and even years by proper attention to rebinding and repair. Lack of funds has prevented the rebinding of approximately 500 books and there are double that number awaiting supplies and assistants to mend them.
BOOK STOCK
The library now has a collection of 33,681 volumes, which include books for recreation, for information, and for reference, for both adults and children. Of these 2,012 were added in 1931-a little over one fourth were juveniles.
The collection includes books in 6 different languages. There were 77 new titles added during the past year chiefly in the French, German and Swedish sections.
"Free material" in the form of pictures, clippings, brochures, and leaflets issued by various travel, publishing and commercial agencies, forms an increasing- ly useful asset to the library's resources.
Always grateful for contributions of books, magazines, pictures or funds; the library has been fortunate in the receipt of gifts-amounting to 357 volumes during the past year.
95
ANNUAL REPORT
HOSPITAL SERVICE
At the suggestion of the hospital authorities the library undertook a plan of furnishing and distributing books to the patients and staff on the Sturdy Memorial Hospital. Equipment and storage space were furnished by the hospital which has cooperated in every way to make the service a success. The library furnishes books and an assistant, Miss Dorothy Hannaford, who visits the wards and private rooms twice weekly. Since the service was started in February 3,278 books and magazines have been circulated, in the 95 days on which visits were made. At present the book collection comprises 233 books, 91 of which were purchased especially for the work, 37 are gifts and the remainder loaned from the central library. It is hoped that this work may not be discontinued from lack of funds.
FUTURE PROJECTS
Every institution, especially one in direct contact with many individuals of different interests is eager to serve those interested in a satisfactory manner.
The resources of the public library are for the use of all residents of the city, and the personnel is trained to interpret those resources to all who seek informa- tion or the recreation that is available in a carefully selected book collection.
It is the custom to build up certain sections each year. The year 1932, in so far as funds will permit, will stress books dealing specifically with subjects related to Attleboro industries.
LIBRARY EXTENSION
The library maintains four branch stations each open one afternoon and evening per week-exceptions being made for those located in school buildings. These stations are located at South Attleboro, Washington School, Dodgeville School and Hebronville Community House. Book collections are changed at regular intervals and requests for specific titles filled whenever possible. The circulation from these four stations totalled 31,778 volumes, 19,991 of which were juvenile.
FINANCIAL REPORTS
Receipts
City of Attleboro.
$17,363.65 .
Expenditures
Salaries and Wages
.$10,437.00
Other Expenses
Books
$2,769.69
Fuel
554.16
Light
810.90
Phone
39.94
Building and Grounds.
591.42
Bindery.
931.60
Dodgeville
15.32
Hebronville .
61.19
South Attleboro
191.71
Washington
61.46
Printing.
93.60
Postage
20.20
Trucking and Express.
32.89
Insurance.
255.30
Carfares.
8.98
Securing Information.
4.60
Incidentals
483.68
6,926.64
17,363.64
Unexpended Balance.
.01
96
ANNUAL REPORT
TREASURER'S REPORT OF INVESTED FUNDS December 31, 1931
Organ Recital Fund-
Book No. 118 Attle. Trust Co. 12/31/30. $ 805.89
Interest 12/1/31
32.52 $ 838.41
Letitia F. Allen Fund
Book No. 3682 Attle. Trust Co. 12/31/30
926.39
Interest 12/1/31
37.40
936.79
W. R. Cobb Fund
Book No. 36652 Attle. Savings Bank.
5,000.00
Emily H. Horton Fund
Cert. 2806 2 Shares Attle. Savings & Loan
1,000.00
E. H. Bliss Fund
Bellows Falls Hydro Elec. 5% Bond No. N3654
1,000.00
D. H. Smith Fund
Cert. No. 81, Inv. Trust of Amer.
5,200.00
Edwin F. Leach Fund
No. 38667 Attle. Savings Bank 12/31/30
1,395.59
Interest 4/1/31 .
34.88
Interest 10/1/31
32.18
1,462.65
J. L. Sweet Fund
No. 38666 Attle. Savings Bank 12/31/30
1,395.39
Interest 4/1/31
34.88
Interest 10/1/31
32.18
1,462.65
Sarah F. Briggs Fund
No. 41127 Attle. Savings Bank 12/31/30
650.66
Interest 4/1/31
16.25
Interest 10/1/31
14.99
681.90
Women's Library Aid
No. 40047 Attle. Savings Bank 12/31/30
372.49
Interest 4/1/31
9.30
Interest 10/1/31
8.57
390.36
E. H. Horton Reserve Fund
No. 34696 Attle. Savings Bank 12/31/30
1,928.28
Interest 4/1/31
48.20
Interest 10/1/31
45.96
Deposit 6/1/31
100.00
2 122.44
Thos. E. McCaffrey Fund
No. 30598 First National Bank
500.00
Balance Dec. 31, 1931
$20,622.20
Balance Dec. 31, 1930
19,674.31
Gain for year 1931 $ 947.31
McCaffrey Fund
$ 500.00
Balance
447.31
$20,622.20
$ 947.31
97
ANNUAL REPORT
Jan. 1, 1931. Cash on Hand.
$148.92
Cash Received:
Jan. 20-Interest-A. S. & Loan. $ 27.50
E. H. Horton Fund
Apr. 6-Coupons Bellows Falls Hydro Electric 25.00
E. H. Bliss Fund
Apr. 17-Interest, Attle. Savings Bank 125.00
W. R. Cobb Fund
June 1-Bond. Inv. Trust of Amer. 130.00
D. H. Smith Fund
July 24-Interest, A. S. & Loan Ass'n 25.00
E. H. Horton Fund
Oct. 16-Interest, Attle. Savings Bank. 112.50
W. R. Cobb Fund
Oct. 16-Bellows Falls Hydro Elec. Co 25.00
E. H. Bliss Fund
Dec. 1-Bond Inv. Trust of America
130.00
600.00
D. H. Smith Fund
$748.92
Cash Paid:
Jan. 7-Harvey E. Barton, Jr. $ 8.40
Library of Congress 2.88
States History Co. 8.55
E. A. Taylor . H. W. Wilson Co ..
2.40
F. J. Barnard & Co
.70
Library Book House E. L. Palmer . . H. W. Wilson Co. 2.40
28.75
June 1-Attle. Savings Bank-Transfer 100.00
Oct. 7-Chas. Scribner Sons
115.20
Nov. 2-Herman Goldberger
207.30
Dec. 1-United States Daily
15.00
Chas. Scribner Sons.
12.50
Library Book House
34.00
2-E. L. Palmer
22.20
17-E. L. Palmer
30.40
Sampson & Murdock.
6.00
Dec. 31-Thos. Dean, So. Attleboro
11.37
Peter Gagner, Hebronville.
3.00
David Hamilton, Washington.
2.25
Jenks-Adams Co., So. Attleboro
3.85
Library Book House
1.88
Library of Congress
3.18
N. E. Tel & Tel. 3.43
E. A. Taylor. 4.00
648.27
January 1, 1932 Balance
$100.65
Attleboro Trust Co.
3.50
11.00
Apr. 21-American Library Association.
4.13
98
ANNUAL REPORT
LIBRARY STATISTICS Annual Report for the Year Ending December 31, 1931 Attleboro Public Library, Attleboro, Mass.
Date of founding .1885
Population served . 21,769
Assessed valuation of city
$25,489,070
Rate of tax levy for library purposes
. 0006 plus
Terms of use-Free for lending and reading
Total number of agencies . 11
(Consisting of central library, 4 branches, 1 deposit station, 3 camps, 1 hospital and school deposits.)
Number of days open during the year (Central Library)
(Excluding Sundays) 308
Hours open each week for lending (Central Library) .66
Hours open each week for reading (Central Library) . 69
Number of volumes at beginning of year. 32,549
Number of volumes added by purchase (binding magazines 23). 1,653
.357
Number of volumes lost and withdrawn.
.890
Volumes returned
.10
Total number at end of year.
33,681
Number of newspapers currently received.
12
Number of periodicals currently received. 150
10
Adult
Juvenile
Total
Number of volumes of fiction lent for home use
75,758
27,420
98,435
Total number of volumes lent for home use 44,043
103,178
147,221
Circulation per capita.
.6.76
Number of pictures, photographs and prints lent for home use.
2,212
Adult Juvenile
Total
Number of borrowers registered during year
969
494
1,463
Registration period, years
3
Number of staff, library service.
15
Number of staff, janitor service
1
Number of volumes added by gift.
Total. 2,012
Number of publications issued during the year (booklists and report)
99
ANNUAL REPORT
Department of Public Works
To His Honor, the Mayor, and the Honorable Municipal Council :- Gentlemen :-
I have the honor to respectfully submit the seventeenth annual report of the Public Works Department of the city of Attleboro, Massachusetts, for the calendar year ending December 31, 1931.
The past twelve months have found this department doing its share in meeting that portion of the economic crisis, recognized as being world-wide, which has come upon our city. Circumstances, which by their very serious- ness have helped to control municipal policies, in our commonwealth, should be carefully taken into consideration in weighing the results of our efforts. The soundness of our basic policies of operating the department have been sorely tested and not found wanting. The importance of the department in helping to build up the financial standing of our city cannot be overlooked, nor can the importance of that standing in times like these be underestimated one iota in developing the problems we have to face.
The record of activities as outlined herein is convincing of the sturdiness of the efforts the department personnel has put forth during the year. The results obtained and in process are not affected by calendar limits. The need for at least maintaining our pace and if possible accelerating it in order that full justice may be done all of the parties interested in our municipal affairs is still with us.
The progress we have made in developing our water department is note- worthy. The grave seriousness presented by circumstances and conditions in the Wading River project and the utter lack of a complete report from the engineer in charge should be taken cognizance of by the city government and remedied without delay. Lack of sufficient winter weather to give us a natural ice supply in the coming year is apt to give us more than normal draught during the hot weather on our water suppy. The pressing need for having available the larger pumping-unit at the Wading River station cannot be stressed too heavily.
The value of aid received under Chapter 90 in the construction of the North Main Street project will, I am informed, amount to $24,801.32, half of which, upon a completion of payment, will have been received from Bristol County, while the other half will represent payment through the State Department of Public Works. It is a pleasure to record that practically all of the work performed by the city forces during the latter part of the year 1930 and the fore part of 1931 on this project was allowed by the Commonwealth after investigation and the department was complimented upon the work as performed.
The consolidated advantages in our development of all of the construc- tion of Commonwealth Avenue, bearing in mind costs and results, are worthy of special mention.
On Pine and Emory Streets full advantage was taken of circumstances at hand in aiding our unemployment relief which the results have indeed more than justified. This major highway development, along with our usual main- tenance operations, permits the city a solid plank for its relief program in 1931.
Each year brings closer the positive need for extending, improving and bringing up to date our sanitary sewer system and its disposal plant. Progressive departmental efforts were bent to take full advantage of season and weather in carrying out economically the work as designed.
The most serious drawback to our highway progress at present is the seeming inability of the street railroad company to handle equitably its proper share
100
ANNUAL REPORT
of street-car track removals in their completeness. With the mileage present in our geographical confines, a fair solution should be arrived at in the interests of the public safety and convenience. Conditions on Park Street for instance warrant immediate decision.
Beginning on May 20th a constantly increasing stream of hand labor, mostly unskilled, was turned over to this department by our aid department to be worked. This was, of course, in conjunction with a plan worked out by His Honor the Mayor, that this department lend very serious attention to the scheme of allowing the city an investment on some of the money expended through the welfare department. The conditions traceable, of course, to the existing depression are unprecedented in this generation.
It must also be understood when the figures submitted are studied that a great deal of additional work had to be performed by the entire personnel of our department in order that satisfactory results could be obtained from this help under the existing conditions, no payment being made in money for the work performed.
Due to the fact that most of our public, and particularly our tax-payers, are not in a position to realize easily some of the advantages that have been gleaned out of these depression conditions, I feel duty bound to inform them that ap- proximately 26,237 welfare man hours were supervised by this department.
I also believe it only fair that they should know that much of this labor was placed where dollars and cents could actually be saved. All of it was placed advantageously, and its comparative efficiency, measured by the detailed report accompanying these statements, is very much higher in our department for the period between May 20th and December 31st, 1931, than is reasonably expected from untrained labor by experienced, thinking people. I hold no brief for the perfection of the work performed by these men but, in fairness to everyone con- cerned, I submit that the ratio of accomplishments obtained is worthy of praise.
PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT OFFICE
The depression which has been extended now over a considerable period, has, during the past year, added either directly or indirectly, a great deal of work to that already performed by our regular office force. While everybody's business has suffered, the bulk of that loss in this community, seems to have been transferred to the Welfare Department, the Public Works Department and other departments employing the untrained labor.
Starting the year, our regular force, composed of Mrs. M. I. Sharkey, aided by the Misses M. M. Masse and B. H. Carney, seemed to sense without instruc- tion, the abnormal conditions which were growing on our city and by this very knowledge spurred themselves in a manner extraordinary in time and effort to cope with these conditions. Our rank and file, could they but realize the hard work and detail facing this force, would, I am sure, appreciate the special efforts put forth by them.
By and large, our people seem to recognize the department as one which expends a considerable portion of our public funds. Few of them seem to realize that we also operate efficiently on the income side of their budget through our water department. The responsibility, of course, that accompanies this part of our duties carries with it a great deal of office work.
For private reasons Mrs. M. I. Sharkey agreeably severed her active con- nections here on October 24th, with her annual vacation carrying complete severance to November 7th. Upon the resignation of Mrs. Sharkey the young ladies remaining, moved up, and the third place in the office was taken by Miss Eloise M. Phelan.
To co-operate with and receive co-operation from other offices of the city has not only been our duty but a pleasure beyond words. I believe there is considerable red tape connected with the administration of city affairs which could be eliminated without impairing at all the efficiency obtained as measured by results.
101
ANNUAL REPORT
ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT
Our engineering department has included during the year in its personnel, Mr. Robert W. Mawney, in charge of the office, aided by Mr. Russell Tennant on the outside work and on the inside work by Mr. Ernest W. Doyle. In addi- tion to these men, as time and conditions warranted it, survey parties were built, numbering among their members at different times of the year, Robert G. Maw- ney, Gunnar S. Benson, Joseph H. Gilbert, Jr., Herbert Whittemore and Edward L. Veaudry. Two of these local young men are carrying on engineering studies at Northeastern University. A third was a recent graduate from an engineering course at Brown University. The other two are local veterans, both married. Study of the unusual conditions controlled to a considerable degree the effective combinations obtained from this force in working out our problems to obtain the results herein recorded.
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